Belgium vs Lesotho
Belgium and Lesotho are almost exactly the same size.
BelgiumLesothoBelgium moved onto Lesotho · Equal-area projection
1.01×
Belgium is 1.01× the area of Lesotho.
 Belgium |  Lesotho | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 30,688 km²#137 of 194 | 30,355 km²#138 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 1 |
| People | ||
| PopulationBelgium: 5.05× the population | 11,941,781#82 of 194 · 2025 | 2,363,325#142 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBelgium: 5.0× the density | 389 / km²#22 of 194 | 78 / km²#107 of 194 |
| Urban populationBelgium: 1.96× the urban share | 88%#27 of 192 · 2025 | 45%#139 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateLesotho: 1.85× the births per woman | 1.44 per woman#149 of 192 · 2024 | 2.66 per woman#64 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthLesotho: 0.40 points higher | +0.70%#114 of 192 · 2025 | +1.10%#92 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateLesotho: 2.59× the birth rate | 9.2 per 1,000#154 of 192 · 2024 | 23.8 per 1,000#55 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateLesotho: 1.11× the death rate | 9.5 per 1,000#45 of 192 · 2024 | 10.5 per 1,000#28 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Lesotho: 18.4 points higher | 15.7%#153 of 192 · 2025 | 34.1%#53 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Belgium: 17.1 points higher | 21.0%#23 of 192 · 2025 | 3.9%#144 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBelgium: 4.9 per 1,000 higher | +2.7 per 1,000#32 of 192 · 2025 | −2.2 per 1,000#147 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadAbout as many refugees for its size | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBelgium: 24.5 years longer | 82.3 years#24 of 192 · 2024 | 57.8 years#188 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityLesotho: 18.2× the infant mortality | 3.1 per 1,000 births#164 of 191 · 2024 | 56.3 per 1,000 births#10 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsBelgium: 14.9× the doctors per person | 3.57 per 1,000#43 of 178 · 2022 | 0.24 per 1,000#143 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | 82.1%#20 of 145 · 2023 | — |
| Human Development IndexBelgium: 0.401 higher | 0.951#9 of 190 · 2023 | 0.550#164 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBelgium: 46.5× the income per person | $59,500#15 of 185 · 2025 | $1,280#162 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPBelgium: 282× the economy | $725.47B2025 | $2.57B2025 |
| Income group | High income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Belgium: 23.5× the output per person | $74,676#18 of 184 · 2025 | $3,184#169 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthLesotho: 1.0 points higher | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 | +2.0%#132 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationLesotho: 1.8 points higher | +2.5%#99 of 176 · 2025 | +4.3%#50 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentLesotho: 2.76× the unemployment | 5.9%#74 of 178 · 2025 | 16.3%#13 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyLesotho: 419× the share in extreme poverty | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 | 41.9%#16 of 149 · 2017 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Lesotho: 18.1 higher | 26.8#136 of 149 · 2023 | 44.9#16 of 149 · 2017 |
| Jobs in agricultureLesotho: 29.9 points higher | 1.0% of jobs#171 of 178 · 2025 | 30.9% of jobs#57 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryLesotho: 13.8 points higher | 19.2% of jobs#87 of 178 · 2025 | 33.0% of jobs#9 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBelgium: 43.7 points higher | 79.8% of jobs#14 of 178 · 2025 | 36.1% of jobs#155 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentLesotho: 5.3 points higher | -4.0% of GDP#182 of 184 · 2025 | 1.3% of GDP#117 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBelgium: 26.0 points higher | 75.5% of GDP#18 of 168 · 2025 | 49.5% of GDP#47 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingBelgium: 1.23× the military spending | 2.0% of GDP#64 of 155 · 2025 | 1.6% of GDP#80 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersBelgium: 1.85× the share online | 96%#20 of 184 · 2024 | 52%#143 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBelgium: 1.49× the mobile subscriptions | 104 per 100#124 of 191 · 2024 | 70 per 100#161 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBelgium: 20× the forest share | 22% of land#116 of 192 · 2024 | 1% of land#178 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBelgium: 17× the CO₂ per person | 7.31 t a year#28 of 185 · 2024 | 0.43 t a year#153 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyLesotho: 23.2 points higher | 11.7%#135 of 190 · 2021 | 34.9%#69 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityBelgium: 39.4 points higher | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 60.6%#164 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Lesotho: 3.14× the air pollution | 8.4 µg/m³#165 of 191 · 2023 | 26.4 µg/m³#58 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landLesotho: 7.0 points higher | 16.4% of land#104 of 191 · 2025 | 23.4% of land#56 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBelgium: 9.3 points higher | 28.3% of land#33 of 190 · 2024 | 19.0% of land#57 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBelgium: 20.3× the water stress | 52.8%#34 of 176 · 2022 | 2.6%#141 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationBelgium: 1.07× the rain and snow | 847 mm#102 of 180 · 2022 | 788 mm#106 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBelgium: 0.18 higher | +0.17#89 of 193 · 2025 | −0.01#105 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBelgium: 1.63 higher | +1.36#21 of 193 · 2025 | −0.27#97 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2021 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyfederal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD | — |
| Capital | Brussels | Maseru |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | South African rand (ZAR), Loti (LSL) |
| Official languages | German, French, Dutch | English, Sesotho |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +32 | +266 |
| Region | Western Europe, Europe | Southern Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Belgium sits at about 51° N and is stretched to 2.49× its true area; Lesotho at 30° S is stretched to 1.32×. That difference is why Belgium looks so much bigger than it is next to Lesotho. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Belgium bigger than Lesotho?
- Yes. Belgium and Lesotho are almost exactly the same size. Belgium covers 30,688 km² and Lesotho covers 30,355 km².
- How many times does Lesotho fit into Belgium?
- About 1.0 times: Belgium has 1.01× the area of Lesotho.
- Why do Belgium and Lesotho look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Belgium is drawn about 2.49× its true area there and Lesotho about 1.32×. That is why Belgium looks so much bigger than it really is next to Lesotho. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Belgium or Lesotho?
- Belgium: 11,941,781 people against 2,363,325. Density: Belgium 389 per km², Lesotho 78 per km².
- Which is richer, Belgium or Lesotho?
- By gross national income per person, Belgium: $59,500 against $1,280 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 46.5× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Belgium or Lesotho?
- In Belgium: life expectancy at birth is 82.3 years, against 57.8 — 24.5 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Belgium and Lesotho have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: constitutional monarchy (CIA World Factbook).